Salt isn’t just for spicing up food; it can spice up your hair to make it look fuller, thicker, fresher, less oily, and lighter colored, too. Unlike keratin based products that have formaldehyde and damaging ingredients like sulfates, sea salt is a natural, organic, and relatively safe ingredient for hair that carries no known long term risks. Sea salt is available in larger supermarkets, specialty retail grocery stores like Trader Joe’s, and Walmart. Remember, sea salt can dry your hair, so you don’t want to apply it too often. Here are some easy ways to use sea salt to transform your locks:

For thicker and fuller hair, add three parts coarse sea salt to two parts shampoo, blend the mixture, and then apply the mixture to your hair. Rinse well.

To detoxify your hair and remove the residue that’s accumulated from hair products, Marianna Hewitt, a former Miss California, says to add three parts coarse sea salt to two parts shampoo, blend the mixture, and then use in the mixture to wash your hair. Rinse well. Hewitt says to use the salt shampoo mixture to rid your hair of build up just once a month.

To reduce the amount of oil in your hair, use three parts coarse sea salt (or Dead Sea salts) to two parts shampoo, blend the mixture, and then wash your hair with it. Rinse well.

To create a beachy look with waves in your hair, make a salt spray. You’ll need a clean spray bottle (available at dollar and grocery stores), a microwave safe bowl, 1 cup filtered or distilled water, 1 teaspoon finely ground sea salt, ½ teaspoon of a coconut oil, and a small dab of hair gel. Add the ingredients and to help them blend together, warm in the microwave for 10 seconds at medium power. Let the mixture cool. Pour the mixture into the spray bottle, shake the bottle, and spritz the mixture onto your hair. Scrunch hair to create waves.

To lighten your hair, make a paste with sea salt and water. Add water to ½ cup of salt so that the paste is the consistency of a thick soup. Put some of the paste on your fingers and run your fingers through your hair if you want highlights or liberally apply the salt mixture to your whole head. Then, go outside and let the sunshine dry your hair. Rinse and repeat until your hair reaches the shade you want. If you live near the ocean, swim in the saltwater, and let your hair dry in the sun to achieve the same effect.